He also thanked his ‘best damn crew of mostly-British bastards’ for helping him bring his ideas to the big screen.

James wrote: ‘I am of course happy with all the film has accomplished box-office-wise. But what touches me the most is that the film I told the folks at Marvel I wanted to make two years ago is the film that you’re seeing in theaters today – it’s that so many of you seem to be directly EXPERIENCING the film I INTENDED.’

He went on: ‘You have allowed a talking racoon – for a moment, a minute, or a day – to make you a little more human. And for that, I am profoundly grateful.’

Gunn: ‘The film I wanted to make is the film you’re seeing in theatres today’ (Picture: Marvel)

The director revealed that he had already started work on the recently confirmed sequel, and promised that the characters ‘have so many hardships and heartaches and triumphs ahead of them’.

Star Chris Pratt also took to Facebook to thank those who saw and loved GotG, urging fans to stay after the credits roll for ‘not just the awesome post credit sequence but to read the hundreds if not thousands of names responsible for bringing it to the screen.’